Cons

Bottom Line

The Pebble Time Round is the company's most attractive smartwatch yet, but the loss of app compatibility, battery life, and watch faces means it's hip to stay square.

Nov. 21, 2015

The Pebble family of smartwatches is our favorite of the burgeoning category. The Pebble Time, especially, impressed with its week-long battery life, superior voice support, and charmingly retro color display. The new Pebble Time Round is essentially the Pebble Time's circular sibling. The round watch face looks fantastic and the leather band on the base model is by far the nicest I've worn all year. But those good looks come at a price: Starting at $249.99, this is by far the priciest device from Pebble yet. And it's not just additional cash you'll be missing—the Pebble Time Round takes a big hit in battery life and app compatibility compared with the rest of the Pebble family. For those reasons, the Pebble Time remains our Editors' Choice.

Availability, Design, and Features The Pebble Time Round comes in a few different varieties. There's a smaller 14mm band option, and a larger 20mm one. Watches with leather bands, like the one I reviewed, cost $249.99. Bands made of metallic mesh cost $279.98. The most expensive link band option falls right in Apple Watch territory, at $299.98. Leather straps come in black, brown, or white. Mesh straps come in black, rose gold, or silver. Link bands come in black or white. Bezels (the space around the display) are black, silver, or white, and cases (the frame that encases the watch) are black, rose gold, or silver. It's nice to have options, and for the most part, all the different combinations look classy.

About the Author

Timothy Torres is a Junior Analyst on PCMag's consumer electronics team. He covers wearables, digital home, and various cool gadgets including the occasional video game. He has written all manner of copy for Computer Shopper, The Jersey Journal, Radio One, Random House, and 2D-X. Before entering the tech world, he attended New York University and worked in education as an art instructor. In his spare time he dabbles in theater, sketches comics, eats a lot of sushi and watches too many movies. Twitter: @pleasedtomeetyaSee Full Bio